James Mangles (Royal Navy officer)

James Mangles
Born 1786
Died 18 November 1867 (aged 81)
Fairfield, Topsham Road, Exeter
Allegiance United Kingdom United Kingdom
Service/branch Royal Navy
Rank Captain
Commands held HMS Racoon
Battles/wars
Awards Fellow of the Royal Society
Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society

James Mangles FRS, FRGS (1786 – 18 November 1867) was an officer of the Royal Navy. He served during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, rising to the rank of captain. In the post war period he gained a reputation as a traveller and an amateur botanist.

Life

Mangles entered the navy in March 1800, on board the frigate HMS Maidstone, with Captain Ross Donnelly, whom in 1801 he followed to HMS Narcissus. After active service on the coast of France, at the reduction of the Cape of Good Hope, and at the British invasions of the Río de la Plata, he was, on 24 September 1806, promoted to be lieutenant of HMS Penelope, in which, in February 1809, he was present at the reduction of Martinique.[1]

In 1811 Mangles was appointed to HMS Boyne, and in 1812 to HMS Ville de Paris, flagship in the English Channel of Sir Harry Burrard Neale. In 1814 he was first lieutenant of HMS Duncan, flagship of Sir John Poo Beresford in his voyage to Rio de Janeiro. He was sent home in acting command of the sloop, HMS Racoon and was confirmed in the rank of captain on 13 June 1815. This was his last service afloat.[1]

In 1816 Mangles left England, with his old messmate in the Narcissus, Captain Charles Leonard Irby, on what proved to be a lengthy tour in Europe, Egypt, Syria, and Asia Minor.[1] They travelled with William John Bankes and Thomas Legh.[2] Mangles was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1825, and in 1830 was one of the first fellows and members of council of the Royal Geographical Society.[1]

In 1831 Mangles visited the Swan River Colony in Australia. Lady Stirling, wife of Sir James Stirling who was governor there, was a cousin. As a consequence Mangles went into business, with his brother Robert, dealing in botanical specimens and seeds.[3][4] The red and green kangaroo paw, state floral emblem of Western Australia, (Anigozanthos manglesii) and Melaleuca manglesii[5] are named after James Mangles.[6]

Mangles died at Fairfield, Exeter, on 18 November 1867, aged 81.[1]

Works

The letters of Irby and Mangles were privately printed in 1823, and were published as a volume of Murray's "Home and Colonial Library" in 1844. Mangles was also the author of:[1]

Notes

Wikimedia Commons has media related to James Mangles.
  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6  Lee, Sidney, ed. (1893). "Mangles, James". Dictionary of National Biography 36. London: Smith, Elder & Co.
  2. ↑ H. Goren (15 March 2011). Dead Sea Level: Science, Exploration and Imperial Interests in the Near East. I. B. Tauris. p. 129. ISBN 978-1-84885-496-3.
  3. ↑ www.anbg.gov.au, Mangles, James (1786 - 1867).
  4. ↑ Jennifer M. T. Carter; Roger Cross (2013). Ginger for Pluck: The Life and Times of Miss Georgina King. Wakefield Press. p. 230. ISBN 978-1-74305-171-9.
  5. ↑ Brophy, Joseph J.; Craven, Lyndley A.; Doran, John C. (2013). Melaleucas : their botany, essential oils and uses. Canberra: Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research. p. 238. ISBN 9781922137517.
  6. ↑ Holly Kerr Forsyth (1 January 2007). The Constant Gardener. The Miegunyah Press. p. 238. ISBN 978-0-522-85432-9.

External links

Attribution

 This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Lee, Sidney, ed. (1893). "Mangles, James". Dictionary of National Biography 36. London: Smith, Elder & Co. 

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Sunday, May 17, 2015. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.